When Women Start Riding

In Rundugai, at the foothills of Kilimanjaro, two women are quietly changing what is possible on two wheels.

Germana and Mariam, the first women in the wider Kilimanjaro region to own motorcycles.

I spent decades working in international development, much of it alongside women in rural Nepal.

We ran trainings. Small business initiatives. Income-generation projects.

Important work, no doubt.

But if I’m honest, something in me always struggled with how small the dreams often were.

Then one day in Tanzania, at the foothills of Kilimanjaro, a young woman in yellow flip-flops threw a leg over my motorcycle.

And suddenly, something clicked.

It Started on a Dusty Village Road

Ever since I started riding motorcycles myself, I’ve wished more women could experience this kind of freedom.

But in places like rural Tanzania, it’s rarely just a question of confidence.

Access is the real barrier.

Then one afternoon in Rundugai, at the foothills of Kilimanjaro, I met a young woman named Germana.

Dressed in a floral robe and yellow plastic flip-flops, she took my motorcycle for a quick spin down the dusty road outside the village.

Germana's first ride that would change her life. Rundugai, 2021.

She rode like a pro.

But like most women in rural Tanzania, she had neither a motorcycle license nor a bike of her own.

Women simply don’t ride motorcycles here. At least not openly.

Those who do usually borrow bikes in secret and stick to the backroads, away from police checkpoints.

Most stop long before the dream ever becomes real.

Three Years Later

Looking back now, that dusty roadside encounter changed far more than either of us could have imagined.

Today, Germana and her friend Mariam both own motorcycles.

They didn’t appear out of nowhere.

With the help of around 30 supporters from 12 countries, we raised enough money to buy two second-hand bikes, insurance, and riding gear.

Nothing extravagant.

But in Rundugai, it meant the world.

Germana barely slept the night before the bikes arrived.

And with that, Germana and Mariam became the first women in the wider Kilimanjaro region to own motorcycles.

Just a few years earlier, that idea would have seemed impossible.

Crossing Into No-Woman’s Land

Owning a motorcycle was never just about freedom or adventure.

Germana and Mariam had something far more practical in mind.

They wanted to start their own boda boda business — transporting people, goods, and supplies between villages and nearby markets.

But first, they needed motorcycle licenses.

Through BIKE 'N SOUL and the support of our sponsors, both women were able to complete their training and earn their licenses — still a rare thing for women in rural Tanzania.

A year later, their motorcycles arrived in Rundugai.

In rural Tanzania, boda bodas are more than transport. They are a lifeline.

Until now, however, this world belonged almost entirely to men.

Germana and Mariam were entering that space for the very first time.

And they were ready for it.

When Women Support Women

Something began to shift surprisingly quickly.

Today, Germana and Mariam ride openly through Rundugai alongside their male boda boda colleagues, offering their services to anyone needing a lift, supplies delivered, or errands run between villages.

And while the money they earn may seem modest by Western standards, it is changing something far bigger beneath the surface.

For the first time, they are earning an income through work that was never considered a woman’s space.

Other women in the village have started paying attention, too.

Quietly at first.

But change often begins that way.

A New Reality

Germana and Mariam know they are still at the very beginning.

Their focus now is simple: build a stable business, support themselves and their families, and prove that women belong in this space too.

Just days after receiving her motorcycle, Germana had already started earning money on the road around Rundugai.

Not through donations.

Not through handouts.

But through her own skill, determination, and willingness to step into unfamiliar territory.

And perhaps that is where real change begins.

Full Circle

Sometimes I think back to that first afternoon in Rundugai.

A young woman in flip-flops taking my rental bike down a dusty village road.

None of us knew then where that moment would lead.

Today, Germana and Mariam are no longer just riding motorcycles.

They are quietly changing what other women in their community believe might be possible for themselves.

And somewhere along the way, this journey changed me too.

Because sometimes empowerment doesn’t arrive through big programs or carefully written strategies.

Sometimes it begins quietly, on a dusty village road.

---

P.S. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped support Germana and Mariam along the way.

And if you ever find yourself in Rundugai needing a boda boda, keep an eye out for them.

Kerstin